This report is looooong, but, the short version: I ran 10k when I didn’t intend to, despite a few hiccups that almost put paid to the attempt that wasn’t even an attempt until it was done! 🤷♀️
Many of you know I picked up an injury back in January and have only been building back for the last 6 weeks or so. Not wanting to miss out on HU10, I committed to at least walk 10 miles and optimistically put myself down for 10k too, in the hope I might be able to run (or at least run/walk) it.
Via another shot at a shortened C25K, I got myself back to 7.5k the week before the main event. I - sensibly - decided to walk my 10 miles on Sun 19th so I could take part in the main event, and planned to try running 10k the following Saturday. That would give me time to slip a 9k run in during the intervening week 👍
Now I might seem pretty organised to the casual observer, but, as I think BC mentioned, it’s a bit of a different story below the water 🦆
Talking to IP one day last week, she casually asked if I was going to run any of my 10 miles. It was only at that moment that I twigged that I had mentally scheduled myself to walk 10 miles on the same day as I was supposed to be running 9k according to my run plan!!! How had I not realised? 🙈Still, the solution was there courtesy of IP - walk a bit, run 9k, then walk a bit more. And then run 10k the following weekend. Drama averted. Plan back on track 👍
So Sunday morning dawned - and pretty much as the sun rose, my alarm rudely disturbed me from my sleep. You see, there was another clash that I hadn’t noticed until the last minute!!! At 10am, that very same day, I was supposed to be meeting my daughter to purchase a whole load of plants for her new garden. Oh my! To say I’d overcommitted was something of an understatement! 🙈
So, that necessitated a very early (for me) start! Hubbie was away, so I got straight up. Everything was already laid out; while the kettle boiled I filled the bladder for my water vest. As I lifted it up to rinse it out … crunch … something cricked between my shoulder blades, sending waves of hot pain through my back. Nooooo! Just noooo! 🙈 I kept moving and thankfully it eased. The mission was still on!!! Energy bar and cup of tea downed, C25K warmup completed and straight out the door on schedule at 6:30am 👍
Now, to be honest, that all happened very fast and I was by no means properly awake as I started my first walk segment; all the same I did remember to set the course on my watch and phone, start the playlist and start my watch 👍
It’s fair to say that the HU10 playlist covered a wide span of musical tastes. I had set Spotify to shuffle but I was entirely unprepared for the heavy rock that assaulted my ears; it really didn’t fit a dawn walk!!! 🙉 There was much use of my skip button (we may all share a love of running, but perhaps we don’t all share the same musical taste). I made my way through town to the start of the country lanes. About 500m in something alerted me to the fact that my watch was actually paused (I forget what). I guess it must have auto started and my press simply paused it. Duh! 🙈
I had chosen an old 16k route, but flipped the direction so I’d go down the steep hill and have a longer, but more gentle incline to get back up. Turns out that wasn’t so smart! If I’d left it alone, I’d have run gently downhill all the way and walked up the steep hill at the end. Yet another bit of clarity that dawned on me too late! 🙈
Anyway, 2.5km in, at the top of that hill, I decided I better start running. The next 9km went by totally uneventfully, but there were voices in my head: ‘The leg’s OK just now. Maybe you should just run for 10k today in case it’s not OK tomorrow, or not OK by the end of the week.’ 🙈 And so I did! My 10 mile ‘walk/run’ became my 10k run! 👍As I’d run a loop I still had to walk the remaining 3.5km home though. I’ve read so many reports about how hot it was on Saturday, but believe me it was still positively chilly when I was walking back.
I got home, after 16.8km , no leg pain and it was barely 9am (16.8 just so I got the full 16.1 recorded, in case I don't have time to walk 16 miles before Sunday🙈 )! I’m not sure I’d really woken up, even by the time I got home! The whole thing just happened, flew by (I won't forget the musical introduction though 😍).
Fast shower and I made it to the garden centre for 9:58, just ahead of my daughter. Eventually got home in time for dinner and to read a whole host of wonderful run reports. What a day that was! 👍
I have been grinning ever since. Back to 10k. Me! Leg behaving well! Woohoo 🥳🥳🥳
Thank you to everyone who took part in this HU10. It’s running with you all that got me to this 10k.
Just a 10 mile walk to go now 😍
Another pretty disastrous attempt at distance ☹️
At least I know I can do it now- albeit slowly 🐌